From the composer's notes: (Written on) commission from the city of Beauvais, France, and premiered by cello soloist Jes??s Castro-Balbi and the Beauvais cello ensemble (Jacques Bernaert, director) the summer of 2001 in the city that commissioned it. The range and the technical possibilities of the cello are astounding. I was attracted by the feasibility of having wide open, warm, lush harmonies in the ensemble set against expressive lines in the solo cello, with several dialogues between the so...